


Taught by Oraculi and Lady

by AlwayzHuman



Series: The Omens [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Acromantula - Freeform, Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alpha - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animagus, Bad Albus Dumbledore, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Dumbledore Bashing, Evil Albus Dumbledore, Genius Harry, Genius Harry Potter, Good Draco Malfoy, Good Severus Snape, Grey Harry Potter, Hermione Granger Bashing, I won't write anything graffic but punishments will be mentioned, Just Ron Ginny and Molly, Magic Blocks, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Mentor Death, Mentor/Protégé, Nightshade, Parselmouth Harry Potter, Parseltongue, Ron Weasley Bashing, Smart Harry, Smart Harry Potter, Tentacula, The Omens, The Omens Pack, Weasley Bashing, code names, sentient magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21760951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwayzHuman/pseuds/AlwayzHuman
Summary: With everything against him and nothing as it seems, Harry must determine who to trust and who to conquer before it's too late.After all, the Sorting Hat wanted to put Harry into Slytherin for more than just the Horcrux in his head.
Relationships: Death & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Eventual Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Eventual Parental Severus Snape & Harry Potter, Eventual Severus Snape & Harry Potter, Harry Potter & Fred Weasley & George Weasley, Mentor Death & Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom & Harry Potter, Past Relationships - Relationship, eventual drarry - Relationship
Series: The Omens [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1568353
Comments: 26
Kudos: 342





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into the past can reveal that not everything is as it seems.

**24th March 1978: 10:55 pm**

“You did WHAT?!” James shouted. Seventh year James Potter always enjoyed a good prank but even he couldn’t believe what he heard his best mate did. Sirius, Peter, and James sat in the Gryffindor Common Room just talking about what they did while James was training on the Quidditch field.

“It was Peter’s idea!” Sirius complained. “Snivillus will be fine.”

“Sirius, it’s the full moon and you just sent Snape straight to Remus!” James panicked. “Are you saying you’re fine with a student getting killed?!” Siris’ eyes widened at what he did finally hit him. “You’re both insane!” James ran out of the room, breaking the silence barrier on the way, to stop Snape before he got himself killed. He never told his friends, but he just couldn’t allow his unrequited crush to die at the claws of one of his best mates.

**11:39 pm**

Severus Snape stood just outside of the Whomping Willow, considering what he intended to do. He glares at the hole in the ground, mentally berating himself for stalling. He couldn’t understand why, but something in the back of his head told him not to follow Lupin, that he would only find danger if he followed. Rolling his eyes, Severus took a step closer to the hole only for something to grab him from behind and pull him back. For a moment, he thought he stalled for too long and that the Whomping Willow became agitated again.

As he landed on his back, he found that not to be the case. Instead of flying through the air, he saw James Potter straddling his stomach and yelling at him about being more careful and asking if he was trying to get himself killed. For a long minute, Severus stared up at his long time, unrequited crush before remembering all of the horrible pranks the Gryffindor and his friends pulled over the years and sneered. He pushed James off him before putting his own two Knuts in.

“Sod off, Potter!” Severus shouts before storming away from the Gryffindor.

James watched Snape stomp away before his vision began to blur and images started appearing within his mind. At first, he thought his vision showed the future and hope blossomed that one day his affections will be returned. He saw him and Severus out by the lake on candlelit dates, secret kisses in hidden alcoves, and Remus, Peter, Sirius, and Lily covering for him and Severus while they stuck away to be together. He saw plans being made to be together after Hogwarts and how they planned to blood adopt several children.

However, he started getting confused when he saw Lily confessing that she was Asexual in their fifth year. He saw Remus and Sirius finally getting together in their fourth year and Petter crushing on a girl in their sixth year. As the images flew across his vision, he began to get the sinking feeling that what he saw were memories. He got his confirmation when he saw Sirius, Remus, Lily, Severus, and himself in Dumbledore’s office. He watched as Dumbledore petrified each of them before erasing each of their memories, replacing them with false ones where Lily and he were really together and Severus was an outcast.

When the memories finally ended, James let a broken sob escape his mouth as he stared at the ground. The stayed sat there on the cold ground, letting the tears fall until he finally felt calm enough to return to the dorm and went straight to bed, ignoring Sirius’ questions and falling fast asleep.

**25th March 1978: 6:01 pm**

James Potter moodily walked around the school the entire day. Sirius, Lily, and Remus couldn’t seem to get James to brighten up like they usually could and James noticed that Peter seemed to wear a look that said he was suspicious of James’ behavior. He also tended to stare at Severus Snape for long periods of time, longing to be with the man he loved but not knowing how to break the Obliviates on everyone.

He should have paid more attention to Pettigrew because if he did, he would have seen the rat talk to Dumbledore before the Headmaster summoned James into his office. James stayed stiff the entire time the Headmaster asked him about school and his life. Internally, James wanted to rip the old man’s head off and throw the body into the lake for the Giant Squid to eat.

He suddenly froze with Dumbledore’s eyebrow gave an irritated twitch and James finally noticed the stealthy presence within his own mind. Before he could move, Dumbledore petrified him and prevented him from moving. James then watched as Dumbledore pointed his wand at him.

“Imperius!” Dumbledore casted. “You will not think about your past relationship with Mr. Severus Snape. You will continue to date Ms. Lily Evans and think nothing of what I have done. You will be loyal to me and the light. You will then, one day, marry Ms. Evans and produce a child.”

James tried to fight off Dumbledore but soon enough, the fog covered his mind and he was lost to the spell.

**3rd November 1979: 7:45 pm**

It took Dumbledore two years to convince James and Lily to get married. Now James danced with his new wife to the music. They kept the guest list small, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves as the war raged on. Then, in the shadowed corner of the room, James noticed a figure dressed in black standing there and woke up with a mental shout.

‘ _SEV!!_ ’

He blinked a few times, getting rid of the last of the fog from the Imperius Curse. James didn’t know what to do now but he did know that he needed to be more careful around Dumbledore now. Before he could do or think of anything else, Lily drops a bombshell on him, leaving him unsure what to do next.

“James, I’m pregnant.”


	2. The Boy Who Lived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into Dumbledore's mind, horrible muggles, an interesting friend, chores, and more books than you think are possible.

**1st November 1981: 10:46 pm**

Albus Dumbledore landed on a deserted street in a little muggle neighborhood in the middle of the night. Seeing the lights lining the road, he began searching around his robes for his Deluminator when he noticed a cat staring at him. Annoyance flashed through his mind even though his face showed only amusement.

“I should’ve known,” Dumbledore muttered with a false chuckle. The next moment, Dumbledore finds his Deluminator and darkens the street before strolling over to the wall to sit down next to the cat while returning the device to his pocket. “Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall,” Dumbledore greets. Internally, he began trying to determine how long it would take to get the witch to leave. The night was only so long for him to complete his plans.

“How did you know it was me?” McGonagall asked after shifting into her human form.

“My dear professor, I’ve never seen a cat sit so stiffly,” Dumbledore explained, wishing the witch would just hurry up.

“You’d be stiff if you’d been sitting on a brick wall all day.”

“All day?” Dumbledore asked, cursing the woman next to him. He knew she intended to try to fight him placing his weapon with his muggle relatives. “When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on the way here.”

“Oh, yes. Everyone’s celebrating all right,” McGonagall stated in an annoyed huff. “You’d think they’d be a bit more careful but _no_. Even the Muggles noticed something was going on, it was on their news.” McGonagall jerked her head towards #4 Privet Drive. “I heard it. Flocks of owls, shooting stars. Well, they’re not completely stupid, they’re bound to notice something.” 

She went off about the ‘Shooting Stars’ a little longer before their conversation turned to why everyone was celebrating and then shifted to talking about Sherbert Lemons before returning to talking about Voldemort. Dumbledore mentally cheered when McGonagall finally got to the topic she wanted to talk to him about the most.

“The owls are nothing to the _rumors_ that are flying around. You know what everyone is saying?” McGonagall asked. “About why He’s disappeared? About what finally stopped him?” Dumbledore barely paid any attention to the witch before him, busy with another Sherbert Lemon. “They’re _saying_ is that last night, Voldemort turned up in Godric’s Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are… are… that they’re dead.”

Dumbledore bowed his head to hide his smirk from the woman as he thought about what he did early that morning. No, Lily and James Potter weren’t dead. Yet. He still had need of them, but they couldn’t just disappear. No, that’s why he left their Golems with their son.

“Lily and James! I can’t believe it,” McGonagall states. “I don’t want to believe it. Oh, Albus…”

“I know,” Dumbledore soothed with fake sympathy as he patted her shoulder. “I know.”

“That’s not all,” McGonagall continued. “They’re saying he tried to kill the Potter’s son, Harry, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t kill that little boy. No one knows why or how but they’re saying that when he couldn’t kill Harry Potter, Voldemort’s powers somehow broke. And that’s why he’s gone.” Dumbledore nodded, pretending to be glum about the circumstances when in reality he couldn’t be more thrilled. “It’s… It’s true… After all he’s done, all the people he’s killed, he couldn’t kill a little boy. It’s just astounding. Of all the things to stop him. But how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?”

“We can only guess,” Dumbledore answered. The Headmaster had hoped that Voldemort would kill off the boy but it was not meant to be and Dumbledore truly didn’t know how the boy survived. “We may never know.” Which only irked him more. 

While McGonagall dabbed her tears away with a handkerchief, Dumbledore took out a pocket watch and wondered how much longer the professor would stay. There were only so many hours before the Sun rose and he noticed Hagrid was late and said so. When McGonagall asked why they were waiting here for Hagrid, Dumbledor told her and got the reaction he was expecting.

“You don’t mean… You can’t mean the people who live _here_ ,” cried Professor McGonagall as she jumped to her feet and pointed at the house. “Dumbledore, they can’t. I’ve watched them all day. You couldn’t find two people who are less like us. And they’ve got this son, a son kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here?”

“It’s the best place for him,” Dumbledore informed, lacing his words with a compulsion to listen to him. “His Aunt and Uncle can explain everything to him when he’s older. I’ve written them a letter.”

“A _letter_? Really Dumbledore?” McGonagall asked incredulously. “You think they’ll explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him. He’ll be famous, a legend. I wouldn’t be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future. There’ll be books written about Harry. Every child within our world will know his name.”

“Exactly,” Dumbledore stated, annoyed that she fought the compulsion. “It would be enough to turn any boy’s head. Famous before he could walk and talk. Famous for something he won’t even remember. Can’t you see how much better off he’ll be growing up away from all that until he’s ready to take it?” Dumbledore strengthened his compulsion and saw as McGonagall opened her mouth to try to say something only to close in a moment later. He mentally sighed in relief when he saw the compulsion working.

“Yes, yes, you’re right of course,” McGonagall said. She then inquired how the boy would arrive and Dumbledore told her Hagrid would bring him. Of course, McGonagall had her reservations. Her worry only paused when she heard a motorcycle in the distance. 

A few moments later, a motorbike with Rubeus Hagrid riding it lands right in front of them, carrying baby Harry. He hands him over to Dumbledore, who leaves the sleeping baby and a letter to the Dursleys on the doorstep of 4 Privet Drive. Hagrid himself leaves to bring the motorbike back to its actual owner, but not before giving Harry a kiss goodbye on the scarred forehead. McGonagall reverts back into the cat and slinks around the corner at the other end of the street. 

Dumbledore sighed in relief when he could no longer see the two. Turned to the sleeping babe and cast a diagnosis spell to determine how large Harry Potter’s magic really was before binding his magic and any other ‘unneeded’ abilities the boy possessed. With a satisfied smirk, Dumbledore turned around and un-siphon the light from the street lamps before vanishing without a trace. 

Harry rolls over inside his bundle of blankets with his small hand closing on the letter as he sleeps on, not knowing he is special and famous, nor that he will be woken up the next morning by his Aunt Petunia's scream when she opens the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he will be spending the next few weeks being prodded and pinch by his cousin Dudley. And he will never know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country are holding up glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter -- the boy who lived!"

However, unheard by human ears, Harry’s magic cries out in pain for being forcefully bound. As a result, Harry’s magic attracted the attention of a shadowed being, draped in black tattered robes. He hovered over the boy and rested a bony hand on the boy’s head before returning to the shadows of the night.

**Four Years Later** ****

The first clear memory he had was of him at five years old, coming in from the backyard after planting some new flowers in his Aunt’s garden. He’d been covered in mud and dirt when his Aunt Petunia saw him and screeched. His Uncle Vernon quickly entered the room and noticed the mud boy standing just inside the house.

“What do you think you’re doing Freak?” Vernon shouted, smacking the boy to the ground. “Get back out there, Boy! I don’t want to see you here again until you’ve cleaned yourself up.” Vernon then threw the boy out the back door, barely managing to prevent breaking a bone.

The boy’s lip trembled as he slowly pulled himself up enough to sit on his knees as his uncle slammed the door shut. Not knowing what to do, he slowly moved his bruised and sore body to the side of the shed to curl up against. Silent tears started to fall and he continued to ask himself why his family treated him this way and he couldn’t talk to his friend, the spider in his ‘room’ he called Muffet, because it recently died of old age. The boy curled further into himself, his stomach grumbling at not getting food since breakfast yesterday.

“ **Poor Hatchling,** ” Harry heard in a hissing voice. “ **Those big humans he’s staying with are simply horrible.** ”

“ **H-hello?** ” Harry called out, wanting to know if the voice meant him.

“ **A speaker?** ” The voice asked, slithering out of some nearby bushes. “ **How strange. Speakers aren’t usually in this part of the world.** ” Harry quickly figured out that the voice came from the snake, although he didn’t know how.

“ **Who are you?** ” Harry asked instead, up to asking what the snake meant by ‘speaker’.

“ **My last human named me Medusa,** ” the snake replied.

And Medusa quickly became Harry Potter’s first friend. Medusa helped him find the hose and allowed him to spray off. While waiting for the sun to dry Harry off, Medusa promised to keep Harry company whenever he was outside and encouraged Harry to start learning everything he can. 

“ **The more you know, little Hatchling, the better you can defeat your enemies when the time comes,** ” Medusa reasoned and Harry couldn’t find a fault in it.

He started by learning how to read and write the human language. Harry taught himself to read using his Aunt’s magazines and the library every opportunity he could get whenever Petunia took him and Dudley while Vernon worked. 

He asked the librarian to teach him how to read and write, saying he was too impatient for school to start and wanted to get a head start while he could, to ensure he taught himself correctly. He learned so quickly that the librarian started to help him learn how to read faster. He read so much and so quickly that he managed to start on Middle School Level Books by the time he started Kindergarten. 

He also decided to teach himself Morse Code so he could tap out insults to relatives without them noticing. This helped to relieve some of his stress and anger caused by his relatives and allow him to not lash out at them as much as he could with weird things happening every so often. It also helped to annoy them when they caught him tapping his insults. When Medusa found out what he was using it for, she rolled on the ground laughing and making Harry have to hide his smile in the flowers he was planting.

When his relatives finally allowed him to go to school, he learned that his name was Harry Potter. Harry, being as smart as he was, lied and said his hobby was gardening. During recess, Harry watched his cousin tell everyone to stay away from Harry. Harry also made sure to hide any signs of abuse from everyone until the end of the day when he asked to privately talk to his teacher to tell him about the abuse. It turned out to be a terrible decision because his aunt and uncle told his teacher and principal that he was lying and, when they returned home, he was beaten with Vernon’s belt before being thrown into his cupboard without food.

The next day at school, Harry kept to himself and just read everything he could get his hands on. At the end of the day, Harry had to run from his cousin and his gang, making it to the local library. This is when Harry found that Dudley refuses to enter the library if his mother isn’t dragging him in there. Harry greeted the librarian before grabbing a book from the High School/College section of the library. He sat at a table and read until he had to leave to get dinner ready. 

The first book he picked up talked about the different aspects of psychology. He saw a mention of someone called Sherlock Holmes and went in search for a Sherlock Holmes book. After reading some interesting things in the psychology books and the Sherlock Holmes Series, he began trying to figure out how to read people and their ‘tells’.

His relatives were easy to read because of how often he had to see them. Next were the students and teachers at his school followed by his babysitter, Mrs. Figgs. He still got some information wrong, like thinking one of his classmates had an older sister when she really had an older brother, but for the most part, he was often correct in his deductions. However, after one particular reading that questioned his Uncle’s preference in bed partners, he quickly learned to pretend to not know as much as Dudley if he wanted a peaceful night with his relatives. 

What really interested him, though, was when he figured out that Mrs. Figgs was a spy. He managed to figure out that she was spying on him and reporting to someone about the abuse, if her annoyed comments about lack of action from the ‘naive goat’ were anything to go by. He never said anything about his knowledge of her spy work, not wanting the information to get to whoever she reported to. 

As the years rolled by, Harry enhanced his ability to read people, learned how to mow the lawn, garden, pull weeds, trim the hedges, shop for food, clean the house, and cook by the time he turned eight. He barely had time to do Homework unless he had it with him when he went to the library and his relatives rarely gave him enough food to eat. His relatives also never let him ask questions, which resulted in him turning to books more often in the pursuit for more answers. All the while, Medusa stayed by his side in the garden and mothered him and encouraged him when she could.

“ **Keep fighting, My Hatchling, and grow stronger than the other humans,** ” she encouraged, making sure Harry filled himself with determination as much as possible.

Vernon would end up beating Harry for various things, from burnt food to defending himself. His punishments only grew worse when his odd things started happening to him. Harry knew he was smart, science and math being two of his favorite subjects, which is why he was very confused when the ugly orange and brown jumper that his aunt had tried to put on him shrunk right before his eyes. Or the time his hair grew out overnight after his aunt gave him a particularly bad hair cut. At first, he just put these instances down as seeing hallucinations because of his lack of food or weird dreams. Then he teleported himself to the top of the school. 

Harry couldn’t deny it any longer. Something was making him more different than his relatives and he knew that whatever caused the odd events to happen was the cause of his relatives' hate towards him. After quite a bit of research in the library, Harry discovered the possibility of having ‘Superpowers’. However, that didn’t sound quite right so he went to Medusa for guidance.

“ **My Hatchling, you’re smart. Can you think of anything that your relative hate for you, or anyone, to talk about?** ” Medusa asked as Harry weeded the garden. Harry once asked her why she called him her Hatchling and she explained that she had always wanted children but her last human hurt her and made her infertile. Thus, when she met Harry, she adopted him as her hatchling, even if they can’t see each other all of the time.

“ **Magic!** ” Harry shouts just as he pulled out a particularly difficult weed. “ **My biological parents were probably magical too and that’s why my aunt and uncle don’t like magic!** ”

He was in his cupboard a week later when he finally figured out how to access his newfound magic but when he did, he was surrounded by a warmth similar to how he imagined a hug would feel. He found it startling at first, which grew for a little bit after the warmth sent him calming waves, but soon found that he quite enjoyed it and let it wash over him completely. His magic felt alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There isn't a lot of Dialogue in this chapter mostly because I wanted to try to get to the main part of the story but also give you all the ability to understand the Harry in this story a little more before I get to the fun part. There will be a bit more in the next one because of what Harry learns.
> 
> I'm also planning to post a chapter every Thursday or every other Thursday depending on how busy I am with other work. So this will probably be the only one that I post 2 chapters in one night.
> 
> Other than that, I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for the next chapter "My Little Grimm".


	3. My Little Grimm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a run of Harry Hunting, Harry performs a bit of accidental magic and meets someone who will help him learn more.

Harry sat in his cupboard, relishing in the feel of his magic surrounding him. His relatives went out to eat and left him in the cupboard with a single slice of bread. As he sat, he listened to his magic about all of the different possibilities he could obtain using his magic. Not that the magic actually spoke to him, more like putting the information into his head to examine and find a way to obtain what it showed him.

He spent the last month after getting hugged by his magic for the first time getting to know his magic. One thing he found interesting is that there were two parts to his magic. One was fully his magic, which radiated a solid grey when he pushed it out enough to see it and warmed him when his cupboard was cold. The other was a rainbow of colors that burned like the sun and seemed to have a mind of its own. He didn’t know what to make of the second one but he did know the rainbow’s the one trying to help him learn his magic safely. That is why today, the rainbow taught him how to check for any blocks on his abilities. 

Harry closed his eyes and placed his right hand over his chest, near his magical core. Slowly, he pulled his hand away and an antique-looking parchment fluttered out of thin air. He grasped the sheet and watched as words appeared on the page.

**_Harpocrates (Harry) James Potter’s Blockage Information_ **

**_Blocks:_ **

**_Magical Core - 75% Blocked_ **

**_Parselmouth Ability- 43% Blocked_ **

**_Natural Occlumency- 100% Blocked_ **

**_Natural Legilimency- 100% Blocked_ **

**_Metamorphmagus- 95% Blocked_ **

**_Memories Between Birth and Age 5- 99.9% Blocked_ **

**_Blocks Broken:_ **

**_Parselmouth Ability- 57% Broken_ **

**_Metamorphmagus- 5% Broken_ **

**_Intelligence- 100% Broken_ **

**_Memories Between Birth and Age 5- 0.1% Broken_ **

“What the…?” Harry whispered, staring at the paper in shock for a full minute before the rainbow urged him to start removing the blocks one at a time. He managed to release all of the blocks but stopped when the rainbow wailed at him to not touch the memory block yet, that it was not yet time for him to release it. It confused him but he chose to listen to it.

After that, he learned to put an illusion on himself to make himself look the same while he learned his ability to change his looks. He managed to get it just in time as his aunt threw open the door and ordered her to make breakfast. Knowing about his new abilities, Harry wanted to get back at his relatives for all the pain they caused him. Before he could do anything, however, the rainbow cautioned him to be subtle or risk getting blocked again.

“IIIII WAAAAAANT PAAAAANCAAAAAAKESS!!!!!” Dudley shouted as he ran down the stairs as Harry started towards the kitchen.

Harry only looked back once, wishing that his fat cousin would trip on the last step so he could get a few bruises but not die. A moment later, Dudley tripped on the last step and started wailing. Harry’s eyes widened and he quickly swept into the kitchen while his aunt fussed with his cousin. Harry moved on autopilot while he considered what just happened. Subtle, that’s what the rainbow asked him to do. He smirked when the thought of the shrinking jumper came to mind and he knew just what to do. He just needed practice and fine-tuning.

**_WELCOME TO A TIME SKIP_ **

A month later found Harry with a good hand on his new magic and a way to sneak out of the cupboard during the night. He found that his control over his magic grew as the days passed and all he needed to do now was twitch his fingers in the direction he wanted his magic to go and imagine what he wanted. He still found it strange that the rainbow didn’t actually talk but still knew exactly what it was saying, like it was putting information directly into his mind. 

Within the last week, Harry managed to control his appearance changing ability, Metamorphmagus ability the rainbow supplied, and took off the illusion on his appearance, Glamour. With his new ability, he changed his hair just enough so that it could lay a little flatter and not nearly as messy as before. In fact, he believed, if he were older, the female population would call it ‘Sexy Bed Head’, whatever that meant. Harry also managed to hide crackers in his cupboard for the days his relatives wouldn’t give him enough food. Using his ‘superpowers’, Harry preserved the crackers before enlarging the ones he would eat that night. They were plain and dry but at least his belly was full even if he didn’t get enough nutrients from it.

He also finished planning his revenge on his relatives too. It wasn’t anything much, mostly a lot of little pranks. He would start off with making the last step on the stairs just a little bit shorter to make them trip. He would then follow it with moving every piece of furniture slightly to the right just to make them bump into everything. Then, because he is sure they will blame him for all of it, he will change the channels on the TV or just shut the TV off completely. He also wanted to add in random small, short bursts of static shock whenever his relatives touched metal but he would need better control over his magic’s power first or risk electrocuting them to death. He would spread it all out within a month and, with the help of Medusa, his relatives would have a yard full of snakes as the finale. If everything went correctly.

Currently, Harry mentally planned how he could use his Metamorphmagus ability to escape Dudley and his goons while they shouted at him. He saw a busy park and knew the Library was ten minutes away. However, Dudley and his gang were catching up and Harry needed time to change. He decided to weave his way through the crowd, making small changes at a time.

Dash between a couple on a date while making his skin darker.

Dodge a kid who got loose from her mother and make his hair slightly longer and more straight.

Avoid an old couple taking a walk and change the color of his hair to a dark red.

He slowed down his speed to something more casual and walked until he hid behind a tree near a nearby forest area. He peeked around it to see if his tormentors figured out where he went. Harry sighed with relief before jumping nearly a foot in the air at someone suddenly talking to him, shocking his features back to normal.

“ **What are you doing so far from the nest, Hatchling?** ”

Harry turned to the voice and smiled when he noticed Medusa slithering towards him. He knelt next to her and held his hand out for her to climb. He waited for her to settle across his shoulders before standing again.

“ **Hello Medusa!** ” Harry greeted. “ **I was just trying to get away from my cousin and his friends again.** ”

“There he is!” Harry heard his cousin’s voice. The boy looked over his shoulder and saw his cousin coming towards him with his friends right behind him and blocking the easy way to the library.

“ **The woods, Hatchling. There are more places to hide there,** ” Medusa suggests.

“ **You’ll make sure I don’t get lost, right?** ” Harry asked as he ran into the woods anyway.

“ **Of course, Hatchling,** ” she answered back.

Harry could hear them not too far behind and didn’t know what to do. He looked to the rainbow, asking if there was anything that could help him. Within moments, he tripped over his own feet and was on the ground long enough for the bullies to catch up to him. Except, they seemed to be frightened of Harry all of a sudden. It took half a minute for Harry to realize that he was no longer human. The rainbow did assist him in informing him that he turned into some sort of canine, but didn’t specify. 

Mentally grinning, Harry bared his teeth at his cousin and his gang before starting to growl at them. He gradually rose to his paws and slowly advanced on them, growling the whole way with his head lowered while trying not to trip. Harry enjoyed watching as Dudley’s and Piers’ trousers suddenly became darker in color and looked damper than before. He growled a little bit longer before giving a mighty bark. He pleasantly to watched his tormentors run off with their tails between their legs.

Harry couldn’t hold back his happy little yip as his tail wagged so much that his butt did a little dance. However, all of his movement stopped when he realized that he no longer felt the weight of Medusa on him. He began sniffing the ground, hoping to find his adoptive mother as he gave a fearful whine.

“ **Hatchling?** ” Medusa called from under a nearby fallen log. Harry gave another happy yip before leaping over to her. He sniffed her for any irreversible injury before licking her right under her head, happy that she seemed fine. “ **Ew! You got dog spit all over me,** ” Medusa complained as Harry lowered himself to let her climb onto his back again. For kicks and giggles, Harry went to sniff her tail only to have the tail smack his nose.

With the adrenaline finally coming down, Harry made his way to a nearby stream to see what he looked like and preened at the dark, shiny coat of fur he saw. The rainbow informed him that he will start showing traits of his animal form like baring his teeth at those who try to harm him or make him angry. He decided to go to the library to look for ways to keep calm.

“ **Your wolf form is impressive, Hatchling,** ” Medusa complements. “ **You’re a bit larger than a normal adult wolf, though.** ” Harry truly didn’t care about his size, he felt protected in this form. He chose to stay in his Canis form while traveling the woods until he could get close enough to human civilization. 

On the way, Harry found a dying doe lying in the grass with a hooded figure next to it that seemed to blend in with the shadows of the land. Harry was going to walk away, hoping to not get involved but stopped when the cloaked figure suddenly turned to him. The figure hovered closer to examine Harry before gently petting Harry’s head and scratching behind Harry’s ear with boney fingers. He was startled by the cold touch but accepted it as he did with his magic, sensing that the cloaked figure was good.

“ _I will not harm you, my little grim,_ ” the cloaked figure said in a rough, deep voice despite the fact that it didn’t look like it had a mouth. “ _You, child, are meant to be my future master. I will ensure your survival with your relatives until you have the ability to fight your own battles and I will teach you all that you need to know about the Dark just as Lady Magic is teaching you about the Light and Neutral sides of your magic. Now return to your human form, my little grim._ ”

The figure moved away and to the dying doe, beckoning Harry to follow. As he returned to his human form, Harry had to wonder who this cloaked figure was, although he had a guess as to who it was, and he wondered if the rainbow he sensed alongside his magic was Lady Magic. The cloaked figure chuckled as he directed Harry to kneel by the doe.

“ _I go by many names: Thanatos, Xolotl, Anubis. I am Death, my little grim, and one day I will stand beside you as you tear down your enemies. Just Like Lady Magic will for the same. Speaking of, My Lady, would you mind showing yourself to my grim?_ ”

A rainbow of colors appeared around Harry before moving to the other side of Death. For a moment, the colors just swirled there but soon took the shape of a woman. The swirl of colors only stopped when the woman looked like she was made out of semi-clear rainbow crystals.

“ _It is good to properly meet you, my child,_ ” Lady Magic greeted Harry. 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, My Lady. You’re the one that told me not to break the bind on my memories, why?” Harry asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

“ _I am_ ,” she said. “ _Lady Fate informed me that it was not yet time for you to see those memories. Aside from that, you are still young, the magical strength it would take to safely unbind it, you do not yet have._ ” Harry nodded in understanding before Lady Magic returned to reside inside of Harry and allowed Death to begin his teaching.

Harry then listened as Death proceeded to show Harry how to determine if someone’s time is up or if they need to be healed. Death then instructed Harry to heal the doe and they watched as the doe rejoined with her fawn. The doe soon turned back to them and gave a small bow to the two before trotting away with her fawn. Death then guided Harry to the edge of the woods closest to the library. 

“ _My little grim, I suggest you learn to meditate,_ ” Death suggested. “ _Not only will it help you stay emotionally balanced, but it will also help you to clear your mind and is a gateway to several different types of spells._ ”

“I will look into, Oraculi,” Harry said, giving Death a small bow. “Thank you for the learning experience, I hope we can do it again soon.” Harry walked to the library and gazed at each individual’s Life Counter with fascination. Despite the bumpy morning, Harry figured that his tenth birthday was turning out great.

Until he turned to Medusa as she shifted her head out from under his shirt and saw her Life Counter.

**9 Months 26 Days 2 Hours 1 Minute 18 Seconds**

Harry quickly found a hidden spot and urged Medusa to curls around his hand.

“ **Medusa, your Life Counter-** ”

“ **I know, Hatchling,** ” Medusa interrupted. “ **I’m old for my age. I know I’ve only got another year or two to live at most. I’m not afraid of dying. And, so long as you keep me within your heart, I will always be with you.** ” Harry allowed a tear to fall as he pulled her closer to him. Once he recovered, he finally finished walking to the library.

While at the library, he found different methods of meditation that he’s hoping will help him control his emotions better. Harry quickly took to waking up early every morning to meditate and stay up just a little bit longer at night to do the same. While meditating, he met his animal form, Animagus is what Lady Magic told him later, and began building up a mental shield. 

Meditation helped him become closer to his wolf side to the point that his wolf wanted a name for himself. However, nothing seemed to fit so they decided on the name Grim, purely because Death wouldn’t call Harry anything by ‘My Little Grim’ or ‘Little Grim’, until they found a name that suited the wolf. Despite all of his chores and how his ‘relatives’ treated him, Harry was content with Lady Magic and Death teaching him everything. 

Alongside training and chores, Harry kept a close eye on Medusa’s Life Counter as it slowly whittled away. Just as the time counted down, Medusa seemed to start getting slower as well. Once her Life Counter read 15 Hours 3 Minutes 7 Seconds, Harry brought an idea up with Medusa.

“ **Medusa, would you mind doing me a huge favor?** ” Harry asked.

“ **What would you like me to do, my Hatchling?** ” She asked. “Another gathering of snakes for your relatives?”

“ **Actually, I was hoping you would stay with me overnight tonight.** ” Neither spoke as Harry mixed the fertilizer into the garden.

“ **My time runs out tonight, doesn’t it, Hatchling,** ” Medusa stated. Harry nodded, his vision getting watery. “ **Harry, you can’t stop my death.** ”

“ **I know,** ” Harry whispered. “ **I just want to be there when it happens.** ” Medusa watched him as he finished up the garden.

“ **Very well, Hatchling,** ” Medusa answered. “ **But I expect you to bury me in the spot we first met.** ” Harry gave her a wobbly smile and nodded. He held his hand out and waited for her to get settled around his torso before going inside to start working on the rest of his chores.

That night, Harry refused to sleep. He stayed awake and quietly talked to Medusa throughout the night. It got to the point where Harry hugged Medusa like a teddy bear and continued to try to talk to her as the hours turned to minutes and tears began to fill his eyes.

“ **I love you, mum,** ” Harry whispered when Medusa’s time hit 3 Minutes.

“ **I love you too, Hatchling,** ” she answered back, her voice already growing weaker.

“ **I’m going to miss you.** ” Harry fought a losing battle with his tears. 

2 Minutes.

“ **I will always be with you, you just have to remember me,** ” Medusa said, curling a little tighter to hug Harry. Harry finally lost the battle and began to silently cry.

1 Minute.

“ **My Hatchling, would you do me a favor?** ”

“ **Of course,** ” Harry answered without hesitation.

30 Seconds.

“ **Will you smile for me?** ” It took Harry a bit but he managed to force himself to smile for her. “ **Thank you.** ”

0 Seconds.

Harry felt Medusa’s body go limp and he silently balled over her lifeless form. When morning came, he draped her body across his shoulders and Disillusioned her to make breakfast before going out to the garden to bury her by the shed and allowed silent tears to fall once more.

  
  
  


A week later he was locked away in his cupboard after his first trip to the zoo for setting a python on Dudley. Then, once they finally allowed him out, he got a strange letter and was insulted enough by the ‘Cupboard under the stairs’ part that he didn’t realize that he had walked right into the dining room and past his cupboard before he could hide the letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad so many like this story so far. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and don't hate me too much for Medusa! The next chapter is "Eyes Clouded by Wonder".


	4. Eyes Clouded by Wonder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's Letter, a ride with Goblins, and a trip to Diagon Alley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention in the last chapter, but I thought you might like to know that Harpocrates is the name of the God of Silence, Secrets, and Confidentiality in the Hellenistic Religion. And, according to Plutarch, is also the embodiment of Hope. I'm sure there is more to it but I thought it would fit Harry pretty well.
> 
> Also, there are time skips because what happens during those time skips don't change from the books/movies. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Despite cold and dampness soaking into his bones, Harry couldn’t help but his amusement. His relatives were annoyed and uncomfortable all because of a storm of letters with Harry’s name on them. Although, he was disappointed that all of the letters were addressed as Harry instead of Harpocrates.

Now Harpocrates laid on the dirt-covered floor of the sea shack that his uncle and aunt brought them to and doodled a birthday cake with candles in the dirt. He could feel Oraculi and Lady Magic nearby to celebrate with him as he watched Dudley’s watch countdown to midnight. With two minutes left, Harpocrates began to hear a strange noise. An odd crunching sound, almost like rocks crumbling into the sea. As the crunching began to get closer, Harry panicked and moved the dirt around to get rid of his dirt cake before huddling close to the fireplace to hide from whoever decided to come to their little sea shack.

BOOM!

Harpocrates startled at how powerful that knock was and his eyes widened. Who could possibly be that strong? When the person knocked again, he barely paid attention to his cousin jerking awake or his uncle coming into the room with a loaded shotgun and a warning. Another boom sounded and they watched as the door came crashing down. Harpocrates only eyed the fallen door for a second before focusing on the very tall man with a mane of shaggy hair and tangled beard. Harpocrates was sure he had seen the man before, a long time ago but couldn’t place where. He watched as the giant squeezed through the door frame and replaced the fallen door before turning to them.

“Couldn’t make us a cup o’ tea, could yeh? It’s not been an easy journey,” the giant said.

Harpocrates watched as the giant told his cousin to move over and sat on the couch. The giant managed to talk to him for a minute about how he looked like his parents before getting into an argument with his uncle. Harpocrates’ lips did twitch into a smile when the giant grabbed the shotgun from his uncle and easily made it into a knot. The giant then turned his attention back to Harpocrates, or Harry as the giant keeps calling him, and brought out a birthday cake, wishing him a Happy Birthday. He felt something wash over him as soon as he touched the box but thought it was just the cold seeping in from outside.

“Who are you?” Harpocrates asked before frowning. ‘That’s not what I wanted to say. I wanted to thank him for the cake. Where did that question come from anyways?’

“True, I haven’t introduced myself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts,” the giant answered, holding his hand out and ending up shaking Harpocrates’ whole arm. “What about that tea then, eh?” Hagrid asked the Dursleys. “ I’d not say no ter summat stronger if yeh’ve got it, mind.”

‘Happy drunk?’ Harry mentally questioned as he watched Hagrid notice the fireplace and creating a fire for them. Harpocrates sighed in relief when he felt the warmth of the fire. Harpocrates did find it interesting when the giant pulled out several things from his pockets including a tea set, poker, and sausages. He also watched as Hagrid pulled out a bottle of amber liquid and took a swig of it. ‘Is he always half drunk? Is that why he’s so cheerful?’

Although, he did find the small argument about his cousin’s weight humorous. Then again, he did get irritated when Hagrid started raving about he didn’t know about Hogwarts or where his parents ‘learned it all’. He did stop to think when Lady Magic warned him that Hagrid was talking about magic and that he should pretend that he doesn’t know magic exists yet. He frowned slightly, wondering why she wanted him to do that and why he seemed to be having a bit of trouble hearing her than he did before.

“I know some things,” Harry insisted. “I can, you know, do maths and stuff.” He really hated having to talk like he wasn’t smarter than his relatives but it means that no one expects him so he’ll take what he can get.

“About _our_ world, I mean,” Hagrid said, waving his hand around. “ _Your_ world. _My_ world. _Yer parents’ world_.”

“What world?” Harry asked. ‘Are there more magic users? Is there really a whole society that no one knows about?’ Hagrid rounded on the Dursley’s, not happy with them at all. The giant then turned to Harpocrates to ask about his parents. Harry’s answer just seemed to break the poor giant even more.

“Yeh don’ know what yeh _are_?” Hagrid asked. Harry felt bad for having to lie to the gentle giant but he trusted Lady more.

“Stop!” Uncle Vernon commanded, seeming to have found his voice. “Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!”

Harry determined that to be the wrong thing said because Hagrid now looked absolutely furious. Harry watched Hagrid and his Uncle argue until Hagrid told his aunt and uncle to go boil their heads. Against the wishes of the Dursleys, Hagrid told Harry that he was a wizard. Hagrid then gave Harry his letter and a similar wave as before blew through Harry. He had to blink a few times, feeling as though a thick fog suddenly settled around every part of him. Shaking it off, he read the letter.

“What does it mean, they await my owl?” Harry asked as several other questions graced his mind. With an exclamation, Hagrid pulled out an owl from his overcoat. ‘That can’t be good for the poor bird,’ Harry thought as Hagrid wrote a small letter before giving it to the owl and tossing it into the rain. 

Harry then mentally sighed and rolled his eyes when Hagrid and his uncle got into another argument, this time about Harry going to Hogwarts. Then Harry heard that Vernon swore to stamp the magic out of him and the fog in Harry’s mind thicked, compelling him to go against his relatives. He ended up confronting his relatives about their true knowledge of his parents. Which confused him because he knew that they knew the truth already. He didn’t need them to elaborate. He became even more concerned when he tried to look back at his memories and found them starting to get hazy, which had never happened before. Something was seriously wrong but he couldn’t focus enough to figure out what it was.

He tried to focus and figure out what was wrong but had to make sure no one else figured out what he was doing in case they were responsible. Then his mind was sidetracked by Hagrid telling him the real story of his parents’ deaths. Harry then decided that his mind may be foggy now, but he will find out why after he gets all the information about his parents and Voldemort that he can get from Hagrid. Of course, his uncle hadn’t learned his lesson and decided that it would be great to anger Hagrid by insulting Albus Dumbledore. Next thing Harry Harry knew, he was hiding a giggle as Dudley danced around with a pig’s tail on his backside.

Everything wound down after the Dursleys ran into the other room. Soon enough, Harry found himself sleeping under Hagrid’s coat and fog still lacing through his mind. ‘Maybe it’s just because I’m tired,’ Harry thought as he fell asleep.

**Time Skip**

As Hagrid escorted Harry to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry began asking Hagrid everything about the wizarding and why he was so famous. Well, almost everything. There were several questions Harry wanted to ask: If he was supposedly famous for defeating a Dark Wizard as a baby, why didn’t he get any Fan Mail over the years? Why was Hogwarts letters the only ones to get through? What about his parents’ friends? Shouldn’t they have tried to contact him? Harry opened his mouth to try to ask again but before his voice could form words, he forgot his question again.

He would’ve been concerned about his spotty memory, he could still remember everything clearly since he was five, but the duo reached a pub called The Leaky Cauldron. Harry’s focus was then caught up with all of the people trying to greet him and introduce themselves. When he was introduced to Professor Quirrell, his scar started to ache like his back after a full day of gardening. Harry also found it interesting that Quirrell didn’t have a Life Counter. Technically he did but it only read 0.

By the time Hagrid managed to squeeze Harry passed the crowd, the boy was frustrated. How could Quirrell be alive yet have a timer that read Zero? Every time Harry felt like he was about to figure it out, the thought simply slips away from him. His train of thought kept circling the answer until he was sidetracked with the view of the giant white building looming over him. Harry took in everything. The red and gold of the goblin’s uniform outside the bank, the sigh against thieves, the lights, and even how many goblins there were to humans. Harry was paying so much attention to the goblins and the decor that he didn’t pay any attention to Hagrid and his moldy dog biscuits as he searched for Harry’s vault key.

“Very well,” the goblin said in a somewhat irritated tone as he handed the letter back to Hagrid. “I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!” Harry startled slightly when the Goblin shouted. Harry took an interest in the goblins as they spoke their native language. 

After receiving his first Hogwarts Letter while at Privet Drive, Oraculi told Harry that it could be beneficial if he started learning the languages of other magical creatures. Of course, Oraculi worked with Lady Magic to determine which language he should learn first and decided, since Harry is more likely to interact with them more, that he should learn Gobbledegook first.  Although, Harry only recently started to learn the language, meaning that even though he couldn’t form a full conversation with goblins, he could understand a few words here and there.

With that said, Harry managed to make out a few words the Goblins were saying. The ones that intrigued Harry the most were 'threat', 'old goat', and 'danger'. He wasn’t able to focus on the possible ideas that the two were talking about because after Hagrid cleaned up his mess, he and Harry followed Griphook to a door. Feeling like he needed to, Harry asked Hagrid about the vault he wanted to get into for Dumbledore but the giant said it was a secret.

Just as Harry and Hagrid passed through the door that Griphook held open, Harry felt a wave of energy pass over him. It felt like someone was trying to look for any injuries on his person. Harry turned to look at Griphook, wondering if this was normal or if the goblin did something. Harry’s attention on him surprised Griphook, which only showed as a slight widening of his eyes.

‘Why would he be checking me for injuries?’ Harry wonders. ‘He didn’t do it with Hagrid and his magic was subtle, meaning he wasn’t expecting me to feel the magic. Most probably wouldn’t feel it. This probably isn’t something that happens often, so why did he feel the need to look? Could it be his uncle’s treatment? Or maybe the letter Hagrid handed him?’

**Time Skip**

Harry found Diagon Alley bright, colorful, and crowded. He loved every second in the Alley and even spotted Knockturn Alley, curious as to what it held but he never had a chance to go in that direction to find out because of Hagrid. Harry was almost overwhelmed with all of the different life forces that he could sense from every wizard, witch, child, and animal. 

While walking with Hagrid, Harry could sense Oraculi nearby but could never quite see him. Occasionally, he did catch a few glimpses of a shadow moving just a little more than it should have and did his best to hide a smile, knowing that Death was watching over him. He had to wonder if this was similar to a parent following along to watch their child or children prepare for their first day of school. Harry hoped that his Oraculi would follow him every time he made Diagon Alley trips before school.

In the excitement of this new world, Harry set aside all of his knowledge from before his letters to learn about the Wizarding World, allowing his emotions to take over rather than his logic. Which meant, when he met Draco Malfoy for the first time, he thought of the young boy as a pale, thin, wizard version of his cousin and not a boy trying to impress him enough to become friends. 

After Ollivander finally managed to pair Harry with a wand, Hagrid returned with a cage and hooting Snowy White Owl. The moment Harry reached his fingers inside the cage and petted her soft feathers, the darker side of his magic reached out to her and they formed a Familiar-Wizard bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm glad I write well enough that I can actually get people to cry over a character that was only part of the story for two chapters.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this and stay tuned for the next chapter "Gryffindor or Slytherin"!


	5. Gryffindor or Slytherin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Worried Student, A Train Ride, Rejection, Advice, and a Sorting.

“Abbott, Hannah!” Professor McGonagall called, waiting by the stool with the Sorting Hat.

Harry let his mind wonder over the events of the last month. The Dursleys left Harry alone after they locked all of his school supplies in the cupboard under the stairs. Not that it mattered all that much considering he could wandlessly open and close the locks whenever he wanted, which was how he got a head start on his reading and named Hedwig. The only downside was that he could only take one book out per night and had to return it before taking another book.

“Hufflepuff!” The Sorting Hat shouted.

“Bones, Susan!” The professor called after Abbott started heading to the Hufflepuff table.

Vernon did allow Harry to keep his wand on him, after he threatened them with snouts to match Dudley’s tail. Harry could also leave the house whenever he wanted thanks to them not giving him chores. He used his newfound freedom to get in more practice with Death before school started. He wanted to get extra practice in so he could spend a couple weeks adjusting to Hogwarts. Although, as the week progressed, Harry became more and more worried about the non-existent contact with Lady Magic.

**Flashback**

“Oraculi,” Harry called during one of their training sessions. “I haven’t heard from Lady Magic recently.”

“ _ Lady Magic is still with you, my little grim, but she is being blocked from you, _ ” Death explained.

“Why?” Harry asked. “What’s causing this?”

“ _ All I can tell you is the block was meant for your magic but our Lady shifted it to herself to protect you. Lady Fate wishes for you to figure out the rest for yourself. She is attempting to help place you in a position that will allow you to take down your enemies more easily. _ ” 

Harry frowned as he helped a baby bird back into its nest. How many enemies is he going to have? Who could possibly want to control him? A wizarding government? But Oraculi said someone, one person. Maybe he hadn’t met the person yet.

“ _ Little grim, I do suggest that you do a simple cleansing daily until you hear from Lady Magic again, _ ” Death advised. Harry took his mentor’s advice to heart before they made their way to the edge of the forest and Harry returned to his Aunt and Uncle’s house.

**Flashback**

“Hufflepuff!” The Hat called out once again.

“Boot, Terry!”

Earlier that day, Harry watched his Uncle laugh at his ticket and drive away to remove Dudley’s tail, Harry began searching for Platform 9 and ¾. Logically speaking, that shouldn’t be possible. However, he figured magic could keep it hidden from the muggles. Before Harry could think much more about it, a woman with bright red hair and five children with matching hair started shouting about the station packed with Muggles and asking her children what platform number they were looking for. Harry watched as the family rushed up to the brick wall between platforms nine and ten. He watched the eldest run through the wall while the twin boys joked about which was which twin, although Harry did notice that Fred had an extra freckle on the tip of his nose.

Mrs. Weasley, as he would later figure out, seemed very enthusiastic about him meeting her two youngest children. He asks the mother for help, and she tells him to run through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Harry does so, and he is astonished to find the train to Hogwarts on the other side of the station. Harry, then, boards the Hogwarts Express, the red-haired twins helping him put his trunk away before saying a final goodbye to their mother and baby sister. 

“Ravenclaw!”

“Brocklehurst, Mandy!”

Harry could tell that the Weasley family was poor, but he liked the twins. He had considered going to look for them and maybe getting to know them when the fog in Harry’s mind seemed to get thicker just as the youngest brother entered the compartment looking for a place to sit. Ron and Harry talked about all sorts of things on the train.

Harry absently noticed that Brocklehurst went to Ravenclaw, Brown to Gryffindor, Bulstrode to Slytherin, Finch-Fletchley to Hufflepuff, and Granger to Gryffindor.

Harry kept his face from scrunching up when Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy unsurprisingly went to Slytherin as well. Harry was still disappointed in himself from earlier. Malfoy would have made a great alliance within his new world but something forced him to reject Malfoy. Something that wasn’t him and he couldn’t seem to place what it was.

“Potter, Harry!”

Harry nearly jumps at his name coming from Professor McGonagall’s stern voice. Harry walked up to the stool, ignoring the whispers from the other students. His vision soon became obscured by the inside of the Hat.

‘ _ Hmm, _ ’ the Hat hummed, thinking. ‘ _ Difficult. Very Difficult. Plenty of Courage, I see. An Excellent mind, certainly. _ ’

Harry tried to block some of his mind from the Hat, not liking that it was rooting through there. 

‘ _ There’s talent, oh my goodness, yes- _ ’ the Hat chuckled gently at Harry’s attempt to shield his mind from the Hat’s own abilities. ‘ _ \- and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that’s interesting… but there is a fog in your mind. _ ’

‘ _ Do you know what it is? _ ’ Harry mentally asked, hoping the Hat could hear him.

‘ _ I do believe I do. I suggest you look up Compulsion Spells when you have time, Mr. Potter, _ ’ the Hat suggested. ‘ _ In the meantime, we need to place you somewhere. Tell me, if you had an enemy who was expected to think like an ordinary eleven year old, who seems to put the child onto a certain path, which house should the child go in? _ ’

Harry thought about it thoroughly before stating his answer.

‘ _ The house the enemy wanted the child to go in. That way I could sneak up on the enemy and cut them down when they least suspect it. _ ’

‘ _ Intriguing idea, _ ’ the Hat complemented. ‘ _ Very Slytherin, but you do make an excellent point. The enemy I am referring to is very powerful, with just as powerful allies. Beware of the twinkling eyes, Mr. Potter. I hope you do not regret going into…’ _

“Gryffindor!” The hat shouted out loud for everyone else to hear.

Harry chose to analyze the Hat’s warning later and focused on enjoying the feast. However, he did decide that he wouldn’t do anything with the compulsion spell for a few weeks at least to ensure he knew how to act in front of everyone for when he did release the compulsion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this took so long to update. I lost motivation to write much of anything for a while there but, hopefully, I should be back. I also started other stories for other fandoms, one of which has longer chapters than what I usually write so worry if I don't post a new chapter right away.
> 
> Thank you everyone for your patience. I'm going to try to start posting more chapters for this story. I know some of you don't like that I put Harry in Gryffindor but I feel this is the best for the story. The strangest part of this whole thing is that I want to mention tidbits that will occur in later parts in this series but aren't relevant in this specific story. 
> 
> Also, yes, Harry is under compulsion spells but I can assure you that Harry will get rid of them soon. Just not in the next chapter.
> 
> Um... If there is anything you want me to clear up or get more info on, let me know in the comments. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for the next chapter 'Peeling Back the Lies'


	6. Peeling Back the Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A summary of Harry's beginning of the year and the beginning of unraveling lies.

During Harry’s first two months at Hogwarts, he did everything he could to fit in, going so far as to do horribly on his schoolwork again so he wouldn’t make Ron feel inferior. However, to be fair, the Dursleys did make it difficult for him to study, thus making him fall behind his first week of school. Although Harry could get his books out of the cupboard and read them, he could only take one book at a time. Even if Harry could read faster than those his own age, he still didn’t have time to read all of them. His Potions book being one of them.

This got him into trouble with one Severus Snape. However, Harry quickly noticed that Severus Snape was a spy but couldn’t tell who’s side he was on right away and that he seemed to have a personal vendetta against Harry. Harry also tried to stay away from Snape, thinking the man was a vampire before he read more about vampires. Every so often, Harry would notice Snape giving him a strange look from the corner of his eye. It took nearly a month before Harry defined the look Snape gave him every time he thought no one was looking. Anger, sadness, and longing. It was very confusing for Harry but he figured it probably had something to do with his parents. In fact, Harry was sure that the emotions were more directed at one or both of his parents and he was just someone that was connected to both.

Harry still learned everything he could in the shadows of the Library, from every spell known to the Wizarding World to the Wizarding Government. After going through a little over a third of the first wall of books, Harry realized that there are only Light and Neutral spells with no mention of any Dark spells. With a cursory search, Harry realized the entire library was the same way. He knows there are useful healing spells that help with curses thanks to Oraculi but there didn’t seem to be any in the library at all. He suspects that Dumbledore had something to do with it.

Harry often snuck out in his wolf form to meet Death in the Forbidden Forest to learn about the different creatures of both Dark and Light Magic living in the wizarding world. Hedwig joined him every time so they could spend time together and strengthen their bond. This caused Harry’s Dark Magic to stabilize more easily. Death would also teach him how to balance his Light and Dark Magic and how to wrap shadows around him to hide in dimly lit places. Death helped Harry learn different creature languages such as Gobbledegook. 

Harry was thrilled to learn the Shadow technique because it helped him hide in the library and read more easily. His Oraculi did mention that when he used the Shadows and any spells affecting someone’s or something’s Life Force, his eyes glowed a royal purple. With that in mind, Harry made sure that he didn’t use those abilities in front of others unless there was no other choice, which hadn’t come up yet. 

While all of this was happening, Harry continued to play the naive Gryffindor Golden Boy, going so far as to accept a duel with Malfoy and knowing full well that the Slytherin was planning a trap. And inadvertently finding Fluffy that night. He also became the youngest seeker at Hogwarts after another incident with Malfoy.

Occasionally Harry would visit Fluffy, feeling a sense of camaraderie with the underworld hound, and the two would just cuddle and nap. This is when Harry saw Quirrel try to get past the Cerberus. Harry made sure to stay hidden behind Fluffy, pulling the Shadows to hide him further, and just watched Fluffy nearly bite the professor’s head off. Harry waited until Quirrel left before he started making his way to the Gryffindor tower, keeping to the shadows to keep from being spotted, when he came across Percy defending a second year Slytherin from a Seventh year Gryffindor. Harry found the interaction interesting considering Ron’s laments about how ‘evil’ Slytherin was.

It wasn’t until the Troll incident that Harry remembered that the Sorting Hat suggested that he look for a certain spell. On the way to the Library the next day, Harry thought about some other things that just didn’t add up. If Hogwarts is supposed to be one of the safest places in the Wizarding World and a Troll still managed to get in, what did that mean for the safety of the students? Why did Death want him to purge himself from spells and potions regularly? Harry set the questions to the side until he could look up what a Compulsion Spell does.

It doesn’t take Harry long to find the right book after entering the library, having memorized the sections long ago. Since he only intended to read about one specific spell, he didn’t bother looking for a table to sit at and just opened the book, flipping through the pages until he found the right spell. He glared at the book, trying to figure out who could possibly want to compel him to follow a certain path.

That night, after his roommates were asleep, Harry let Hedwig in to join him. She landed on his bed while he followed her and closed the curtains with a sticking charm and a Silencio to prevent anyone from interrupting him. He then, remembering Lady Magic’s instructions, performed a thorough diagnostic spell. What he found infuriated him and he let out a growl of irritation. 

**_Harpocrates (Harry) James Potter’s Blockage Information_ **

**_Blocks:_ **

**_Magic Core Block - 59% Blocked_ **

**_Parselmouth Ability- 43% Blocked_ **

**_Natural Occlumency- 93% Blocked_ **

**_Natural Legilimency- 50% Blocked_ **

**_Metamorphmagus- 44% Blocked_ **

**_Memories Between Birth and Age 5- 99.9% Blocked_ **

**_Godfather Bond- 100% Blocked_ **

**_Werewolf Familial Imprint- 100% Blocked_ **

**_Potions and Spells:_ **

**_Light Compulsion spell- Hatred for Slytherin, Snape, and Malfoys_ **

**_Befuddlement Draught_ **

**_Gregory’s Unctuous Unction- Directed to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger_ **

**_Loyalty Potions - Directed to Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Gryffindor, and Albus Dumbledor_ **

Not only had most of the blocks been replaced but extra potions and spells were placed too. Turning his mind to all of the books he read, Harry started looking for the Befuddlement Draught and Gregory’s Unctuous Unction potions. 

_ Befuddlement Draught - A potion that makes the taker confused and reckless. Gregory's  _

_ Unctuous Unction - A potion that causes the drinker to believe that whoever gave the potion to them is their best friend. _

He was thankful that he either naturally broke through some of the blocks or they just didn’t seem to stick as easily as before, but the Imprint bond did worry him a bit and he decided to look into it later. First, he needed to take care of the other pieces.

With a little prompting, Harry managed to get his magic to reveal when the blocks were placed and saw that each was replaced when he touched the letter Hagrid gave him by Albus Dumbledore. Even the compulsion spell happened when he touched the letter. The potions were given to him at the Welcoming Feast. Harry glared at the parchment with his results before copying it and setting the copy alight with satisfaction before banishing the ashes. He intended to keep the original for evidence at a later date. 

“I will need to find people I can trust to help me navigate around the Wizarding World and find a way to take Dumbledore and his pawns down a notch or two if not completely out of the game,” Harry said to Hedwig after she nudged his hand. Harpocrates stared at the paper before setting it aside. 

Hedwig cooed at him in encouragement as he began to meditate to help him connect with his magical core. It doesn’t take long before the first block breaks, the release of his magic brings with it the feeling of warmth and love from Lady Magic as she returns to him. With Lady Magic’s help, they dismantle the remaining blocks and neutralize the potions in his system. Harpocrates sighed in relief when the fog in his mind dissipated. Once only the memory block remained, Harry could feel Lady Magic nudge the block on his memories.

_ Death hung over Harry’s crib, watching the little infant as he giggled at the immortal being. Hurried footsteps entered the room and froze. _

_“_ Do not be afraid, Potters, _” Death said instead of greeting them normally. “_ Harpocrates is intended to one day be my future Master so I am giving him the gift of perfect memory to help him in his future endeavors _.”_

_ The scene shifted to a dining room where Harry, James, and Lily were sitting at the table for breakfast. _

_ “Relax, James. Now that we’ve got Remus and Sirius and the Grey side planned out, we can focus more on getting your man back,” Lily reassured. _

_ “We can’t even approach him until after we move to Potter Manor, Lils,” James said, annoyed. _

_ “True, but Severus is a strong Legilimens and Occlumens. I’m sure that if he doesn’t already know about Dumbledor, he will soon.” _

_ The memory shifted to a living room. Four adults and a baby are gathered in a living room in a house very few can see. The curly, dark-haired, green-eyed baby played with a Stag and Wolf plush on the floor next to the fireplace while his mother and father sat on the couch nearby as they watched their child play. The couple looked completely different from one another. The father with a dark head of bed hair and hazel eyes and the mother with her flaming red hair in a messy bun and her bright green eyes. A light brown-haired, green-eyed werewolf sits in a chair opposite the couple as he smiles down at a messy, black-haired, blue-grey eyed man laying on the floor next to the child. _

_ “Do we have everything ready?” The mother asked. “What did the werewolves say about joining?” _

_ “Greyback happened to be in another meeting with several other creatures,” the werewolf answered. “The werewolves, Vampires, Veelas, Centaurs, House Elves and Forest Elves, and several other Were Creatures have pledged to join our cause.”  _

_ “Nice job, Moony,” the dark-haired man on the floor complemented. _

_ “That’s going to make this all a lot easier for sure,” the father added. “I’ve managed to get several purebloods from the light to join our cause too. The Longbottoms and Bones took quite a bit of persuading. I swear Augusta has it out for me.” This caused the other three to either snort, giggle, or attempt to hold back a laugh. “What about you, Padfoot? Any luck on the dark side?” _

_ “I got in touch with Cissy, she’s on our side but her husband isn’t,” the man on the floor answered. “She’s going to try to bring some of the dark wizards and witches to join us.” _

_ “Excellent,” the mother said a smile on her face. “Does everyone have their Wills made in case everything goes up in flames?” She was quickly met with three confirmations. “Good.” The group was interrupted by the sight of the baby giving a big yawn, his motion slowing as the night grew later. “I think it’s about time for bed, Harry,” the mother cooed as she got up to pick up her child. “Goodnight, boys.” _

_ “Night, Harry,” Padfoot said as he waved at his godson. _

_ “Goodnight,” Remus said before Lily left the room to put the baby to bed. _

_ The scene shifted again to Dumbledore coming into the living room and Stupefying his parents. He placed an object on both of them before they suddenly disappeared. In their place, Dumbledore placed two figurines on the floor before enlarging them, revealing copies of his parents. _

_ More memories began to flood Harpocrates’ mind in quickening flashes. From the night at Godric’s Hollow to the first few years of staying with the Dursley’s. Then, one memory slows, and he gasps in surprise. _

_ Five-year-olds Harpocrates and Dudley were playing in the garden when Harpocrates started floating rocks. Dudley clapped with glee and then, to Harpocrates’ great surprise,  _ Dudley _ started making the rocks float. Until Aunt Petunia’s shriek made them look over to her. She rushed back inside to called someone, shouting about how the Boy was corrupting her son and to send the old fool to fix it. _

_ The memories then shifted again to Dumbledore entering #4 Privet Drive to take the boys for the day. They teleported to a different town and Harpocrates recognized Hogwarts in the distance. As they walked, Dumbledore kept telling them about magic and the magical world until they made it to a dusty bedroom in a rundown house. The two small boys began to struggle when Dumbledore began telling them of all of the blocks he planned to put on each of them. The two almost managed to free themselves when suddenly, they blacked out. _

Harpocrates gasped as the memories finally released him and he had to take several deep breaths just to curb his anger. He petted Hedwig and thought about everything he learned before turning to his familiar to talk it out.

“So, Dumbledore decided to tear my family apart,” he said flatly, anger still simmering. Hedwig squawked in anger for her wizard. “It looked like he kidnapped my parents so there is the possibility that they’re alive. There is also the possibility that Snape is already free from Dumbledor but has to pretend to play the faithful servant. My parents also started a grey side, I wonder how many I could gather up. We’ll have to see what comes of it all.”

Harpocrates rolled the parchment up, unspelled the curtains, and placed the scroll into his trunk. He then took Hedwig on his arm and paced over to the window to open it for her.

“Thank you for staying with me so late, Hedwig. Go ahead and get some sleep.” The owl nibbled his ear before taking off out the window. After making a mental list to look for the kitchen to eat meals there, see if he could cook too as stress relief, and think up a way to talk to Snape alone; Harry curled up in his bed and slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that the chapters seem rushed, but I am trying to not go copy the book word for word. The biggest part of the plan is Harry trying to fly under Dumbledor's radar until the very last second when Harry can attack. I will say that Harry will start creating his own pack in a couple of chapters.
> 
> SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES AHEAD
> 
> I know some may not like this story as much because it is too much like cannon and it's not AU enough but it does gradually become more AU as the story unfolds throughout the series. There is a certain point in time in the next story of this series (Guardian of Hogwarts) where Harry can go to Gringotts for a bit to get a few things started and will basically run away during the third story (Two Grims) and won't have to return. 
> 
> It really starts hitting into the AU spectrum during the fourth story (Catalyst of a New Path). The reason why the AU hits during the 4th story is because I was originally going to have it just be one story that takes place during Harry's 4th year but then it spiraled into a series. Not entirely sure how that happened anymore.
> 
> END OF SPOILERS
> 
> If anyone has any tag ideas for this story to make it easier to find in the future, please let me know in the comments. Thank you.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this. Stay tuned for the next chapter 'Sneaking Around'.


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